


Bonding

by AwashSquid



Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (Anime & Manga)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-10
Updated: 2017-05-10
Packaged: 2018-10-30 09:18:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10873797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AwashSquid/pseuds/AwashSquid
Summary: The Senshi visit a carnival. Or: how Michiru and Setsuna bonded.





	Bonding

**Author's Note:**

> This came about from a prompt generator, which gave me "Michiru and Setsuna at a carnival." It's an American-style one because that's what I'm familiar with. This is set just slightly post-S, when everyone is still a little wary of one another.

The moment that Michiru walked into the carnival, she knew this evening would not be an enjoyable one. Haruka had used her best puppy-dog look to cajole her into attending, and she couldn’t often resist the blonde’s pathetic expression. To both of their surprise, as she so often kept to herself, Setsuna had quietly asked if she could accompany them. Michiru felt a slight twinge of guilt as she told Setsuna that she of course was welcome—perhaps her solitude was not just a remnant from an eternity at the Time Door, as had been previously assumed, but rather due to a lack of proper invitation. 

The carnival was somehow even louder and more garish than she had imagined, but Haruka seemed to be quite at home among the chocolate-covered bacon stand, the fried cheese curds, and, worst of all, the fried butter cart. A lady certainly did not vomit in public, but as Haruka waggled a deep-fried Oreo under Michiru’s nose, an exception was very nearly made. Even the most palatable food in sight, Setsuna’s cinnamon-covered pretzel, made Michiru’s stomach turn uneasily.

Haruka was trying to convince her to ride the Tilt-A-Whirl (a mistake if Michiru had ever heard one) when they were almost bowled over by Usagi in her excitement. Apparently the idea to visit the carnival had not been a unique one, and soon the group fractured under different interests. Haruka had been whisked away under the premise of winning Usagi a gigantic stuffed bunny; Makoto followed them, cracking her knuckles a bit more than Michiru thought was truly necessary. Mamoru and Ami took up a nearby bench and seemed to be discussing the finer points of theoretical physics, while Minako had pulled Rei into a fierce competition to win the most games possible. This left Michiru and Setsuna standing alone, and for once, Michiru was not sure what to do. She had no interest in the greasy carnival food, nor the dubiously safe rides, and she had no desire to “test her skills” at games which she was almost certain were rigged.

“Shall we walk together?” The voice from her left surprised Michiru slightly, and she looked up to Setsuna smiling at her a bit nervously. Michiru nodded, and the two began to walk along the dirt path, passing various booths and attractions, each less interesting to Michiru than the last.

She had never actually been left alone with Setsuna before, always having the other Senshi (or at least Haruka) as a buffer, and she found herself tempted to ask unanswerable questions of the woman. _Do Haruka and I end happily, or does one of us die long before the other? Can these peaceful days truly last?_ But she knew that Setsuna would not—could not—answer, so she kept silent. The clairvoyance afforded to her, sometimes clear as a tide pool, sometimes murky as deep sea waters, would have to suffice. And besides, she had seen the dark shadow that crossed Setsuna’s face when Ami began asking about time paradoxes and the looped effects of their past selves visiting Crystal Tokyo. She had noted the burgundy lips tighten, watched the jaw clench, observed the eyes narrow, ever so slightly, even as Setsuna gave a gentle dismissal. An eternity spent alone at the Time Gate did not make Pluto a skilled liar, and Neptune could see the anger at being dismissed to nothing more than her position, nothing more than the guardian of the Time Door.

None of this surprised Michiru. What did surprise her was the fact that she cared more to spare the woman’s feelings than to assuage her own curiosities. (For Michiru was not inherently curious by nature; she tended to rely on observable truths and factual observations. But when she did become inquisitive, heaven help the person who failed to produce a satisfactory answer for her.)

The duo wandered together peacefully, passersby scuttling out of the way as they so often did after only a glance from sharp teal eyes. It occurred to Michiru that neither of them had spoken in several minutes, and yet she felt no need to break the silence. With Setsuna, she mused, there was no occasion to display her knowledge to assert its existence (as she had been taught from a young age), since undoubtedly the other woman knew far more; there was also no reason to voice any cutting remarks, as Setsuna would only smile mysteriously in response (as she had discovered from experience).

Shattering the silence in their small bubble, Setsuna cleared her throat. “You know,” she intoned quietly, like she was sharing a secret, “I’ve never been to a carnival before. I always did wish to visit one.”

The corners of Michiru’s mouth tugged downwards slightly. “I imagine you may have missed a multitude of experiences, but among them , I’m unsure why you had such a desire to visit the carnival.” A child passed them, screaming at an ear-piercing level about their lost balloon, and she winced. “This is certainly not among Earth’s finest encounters.”

The taller woman chuckled and paused in her stride. “It’s not that I imagined it to be a particularly refined experience.” Maroon eyes flitted over the crowd, fixing on one spot as an amused smile lifted at the corners of her mouth. Michiru followed the gaze and found herself looking at a small tent that bore a sign advertising: “FORTUNES TOLD. PAST LIVES REVEALED. FUTURES UNFURLED.”

–

They entered the tent and found that the noise of the outside carnival was significantly dulled. The scent of artificial cheese and old grease was replaced with incense, and the bright lights outside vanished as the two found themselves in shadow.

“Welcome,” intoned the tent’s occupant, seated on a large pillow, her hands hovering over a massive crystal ball. Her features were obscured by the hooded shawl that she wore, except for bright purple lips that stood out from her dark skin. Michiru somehow did not imagine that a woman with a chipped red manicure could possess great Sight, but made no move to leave. “One at a time. Payment up front.”

Michiru opened her small handbag and pulled out enough money to cover both of their readings, even as she heard Setsuna reaching for her own wallet. “Allow me,” she offered, and Setsuna gave a small nod in appreciation. The money was handed over to the fortuneteller, and the woman counted it as Michiru primly knelt on the large pillow offered to her, taking care to smooth out her skirt delicately before raising her eyes.

“We will begin with the past, my child.” That the woman was probably only a year older than Michiru was not unnoticed, but she held her tongue as the fortuneteller’s hands began to hover over the crystal ball. “You were once a noblewoman in England. You longed for someone you could not have, and you could not stay away, and—” the woman’s voice rose dramatically “—and he got you pregnant.”

“Did he? How very foolish of me to allow such a thing. Whatever did I do?” Michiru asked dryly.

The fortuneteller continued as though she could not hear the obvious derision in her client’s tone. “You ran away with him, but—ah, so sorry, my dear. You died in childbirth, as did the baby. Now, as to your future… Aha! I see—a man. He is tall and handsome, has hair black as night, and he is your soulmate. You will find him soon, and he will bring such joy into your life as you have never known.” Michiru bit her lip to hide her laughter, and she could have almost sworn that she heard Setsuna chuckle from behind her. “The two of you will marry and have three children together… I see you both living to an old age together.”

“Well. Thank you for such an enlightening experience.” Michiru stood, brushed off her skirt delicately, and turned around. “Setsuna, I think you too should discover the secrets of your past and future. I have never felt quite so enlivened,” she said in a calm tone, her eyes glimmering with amusement. Setsuna’s expression was neutral, but there was an undercurrent of eagerness as she moved to sit in front of the fortuneteller.

“Your past is… Difficult, my child. You were a farmer’s daughter, and you worked a hard life tending to the fields and crops. But your parents died in a fire that took all you owned, and so at the tender age of 14 you ran away. You ran—and you were found—by wolves. This,” she declared with a flourish of her hands, “is how you died.”

Setsuna only nodded in response, and the fortuneteller continued. “Your future is bright. I see great success for you. I think that a career as an idol is not out of the question, my dear, if you continue the path you are on. You will be wealthy, and you will be famous—but, as one piece of advice, avoid the temptation of opiates, or I see an early end for you.”

“I’ll be sure to keep that in mind. Thank you.” Setsuna stood up and the two exited the tent; the moment they were outside again, both of them began to laugh, Michiru laughing much more freely than she typically allowed herself.

“Why Setsuna, I had no idea you dreamed of an idol career,” Michiru teased lightly.

“Just as I had no idea that you were so interested in men, Michiru,” came the reply between quiet giggles.

“Hey, Michiru! Setsuna!” Haruka’s voice carried over the crowd, and the two turned around to find the rest of their group. “We were wondering where you had gone off to.”

“Did you have fun?” Usagi’s face poked around the side of the gigantic pink rabbit she carried, implying that Haruka was successful indeed in procuring the massive stuffed animal.

“We did, thank you,” answered Setsuna. “We discovered some very interesting information.”

The group began to walk towards the exit of the carnival, now starting to close for the evening. “Oh yeah?” Haruka bridged the distance between her and Michiru and draped her arm around the shorter woman. “What was it?”

Michiru smiled secretively at Setsuna. “We both apparently have very different futures from what we had imagined. You, dear, may have some competition for my affection—” Haruka’s face turned bright red “—and you, Minako, may have some additional rivalry to achieve your idol goals.” Minako’s face, shocked at first that Michiru had addressed her, quickly turned to cold fury.

“I can take you any time, Octopus Queen,” she muttered.

“Oh, it’s not me you’ll be worrying about,” Michiru retorted with a casual flip of her hair. She looked at Setsuna and smiled one of her rare genuine smiles. Perhaps an evening at the carnival had not been so terrible after all.


End file.
